Glomerulonephritis (Bright's Disease)

What is glomerulonephritis?

Glomerulonephritis (GN) is inflammation of the glomeruli, which are structures in your kidneys that are made up of tiny blood vessels. These knots of vessels help filter your blood and remove excess fluids. If your glomeruli are damaged, your kidneys will stop working properly, and you can go into kidney failure.

Sometimes called nephritis, GN is a serious illness that can be life-threatening and requires immediate treatment. GN can be both acute, or sudden, and chronic, or long-term. This condition used to be known as Bright's disease.

Read on to learn what causes GN, how it’s diagnosed, and what the treatment options are.

What are the causes of GN?

The causes of GN depend on whether it’s acute or chronic.

Acute GN

Acute GN can be a response to an infection such as strep throat or an abscessed tooth. It may be due to problems with your immune system overreacting to the infection. This can go away without treatment. If it doesn’t go away, prompt treatment is necessary to prevent long-term damage to your kidneys.

Heavy use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve), may also be a risk factor. You shouldn’t exceed the dosage and length of treatment listed on the bottle without seeking advice from your primary care provider.

Chronic GN

The chronic form of GN can develop over several years with no or very few symptoms. This can cause irreversible damage to your kidneys and ultimately lead to complete kidney failure.

Chronic GN doesn’t always have a clear cause. A genetic disease can sometimes cause chronic GN. Hereditary nephritis occurs in young men with poor vision and poor hearing. Other possible causes include:

certain immune diseases

a history of cancer

exposure to some hydrocarbon solvents

As well, having the acute form of GN may make you more likely to develop chronic GN later on.

What treatments are available for GN?

Treatment options depend on the type of GN you’re experiencing and its cause.

One treatment is to control high blood pressure, especially if that’s the underlying cause of the GN. Blood pressure may be very hard to control when your kidneys aren’t working properly. If this is the case, your doctor may prescribe blood pressure medications, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, or ACE inhibitors, such as:

Corticosteroids may also be used if your immune system is attacking your kidneys. They reduce the immune response.

Another method to reduce immune-triggered inflammation is plasmapheresis. This process removes the fluid part of your blood, called plasma, and replaces it with intravenous fluids or donated plasma that contains no antibodies.

For chronic GN, you’ll need to reduce the amount of protein, salt, and potassium in your diet. Additionally, you must watch how much liquid you drink. Calcium supplements may be recommended, and you may need to take diuretics to reduce swelling. Check with your general practitioner or kidney specialist for guidelines about diet restrictions or supplements. They can set you up with a medical dietician to advise you on your choices.

If your condition becomes advanced and you develop kidney failure, you may need to have dialysis. In this procedure, a machine filters your blood. Eventually, you may need a kidney transplant.

What are the complications associated with GN?

GN can lead to nephrotic syndrome, which causes you to lose large amounts of protein in your urine. This leads to a lot of fluid and salt retention in your body. You can develop high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and swelling throughout your body. Corticosteroids treat this condition. Eventually, nephrotic syndrome will lead to end-stage renal disease if it doesn’t come under control.

What is the long-term outlook?

If caught early, acute GN can be temporary and reversible. Chronic GN may be slowed with early treatment. If your GN worsens, it will likely lead to reduced kidney function, chronic kidney failure, and end-stage renal disease.